Duct tape and dustbin-raiding: FF1600 maintenance on the fly

Ian Jeary’s Dulon LD9 was at the centre of one of the oddest moments of last Saturday’s Luna Logistics Classic Formula Ford race at Donington when its nosecone flew off.

The cause of the nosecone’s departure was a mystery as Jeary had not hit anybody or gone off-track, though he was able continue with his race. The car was repaired overnight and on the grid again on Sunday.

“On the first lap, the nosecone just suddenly let go,” said Jeary on Sunday morning.

“The marshals reckon it must have reached about 15-20 feet in the air, before ceremoniously coming back down. But it managed to miss most of the grid, so it was quite fortunate really.”

The missing nosecone didn’t hamper the car’s performance too much, and it was only due to a technical mix-up that Jeary pitted later in the race.

“We kept up with the front guys for three or four laps,” he said, “but then I glanced down at my gauges and realised one of them was at nought. So I actually came into the pits only to discover that it’s a gauge that wasn’t even connected.

“We rejoined the race, but unfortunately by then they’d all disappeared on me!”

He finished 13th having started 12th on the grid. The repair job started soon afterwards, once the missing nosecone itself had been located.

“It was left out at the bottom of Craner Curves, so we collected it from the bin last night.

“We used some duct tape and some vinyl, and some cable ties, and strung it back together.”

The improvised repairs held and Jeary finished ninth in the second race.

His Dulon has been absent from the grid for a couple of seasons following an accident in it at Croft. Jeary has since been racing an Elden Mk8 instead.

“Unfortunately I rented it out a couple of years ago, and it got rolled at Croft,” Jeary continued. “It’s taken a long time to get it back together.

“It was my first Formula Ford and by far my favourite. I do enjoy driving the Elden, but the Dulon is where my heart is.”